HOT TOPICS:

Chris Kluwe's public stand for gay rights rare for pro athletes

Associated Press

Posted:
09/15/2012 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated:
09/15/2012 06:06:26 PM CDT

Vikings punter Chris Kluwe

NFL punters are only seen on fourth down and heard from less than that. But with Minnesota voters weighing whether to ban gay marriage this fall, Vikings punter Chris Kluwe has emerged as a high-profile gay rights champion -- and a symbol of changing attitudes toward homosexuality in the sports world.

"I'd like to win some votes against the amendment," Kluwe told the Associated Press. "It would permanently change the state constitution. Who are we to say we should decide what our children should do on this subject? If we're not the generation to make gay marriage legal, why should we prevent our children having a say on the matter?"

Kluwe, a colorful 30-year-old with political science and history degrees from UCLA, is known for his love of video games, for getting a perfect score on the verbal portion of the SAT test and for his liberal political views. He agreed some time ago to speak out against Minnesota's amendment and headlined a long-planned fundraiser against the amendment Friday night, Sept. 14.

But Kluwe got a massive new audience for his views after he penned a blistering open letter to a Maryland state lawmaker who criticized another NFL player, Brendon Ayanbadejo of the Baltimore Ravens, for supporting gay marriage with the issue also on Maryland's ballot.

"Why do you hate the fact that other people want a chance to live their lives and be happy, even though they may believe in something different than you or act different than you?" Kluwe wrote to Delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr.

Burns had written to Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, urging him to restrain Ayanbadejo from speaking publicly on the issue. Kluwe said it was the assault on free speech, not Burns' opposition to gay marriage, that angered him.

Burns did not return a phone call from the Associated Press. A Democrat and a Baptist pastor, he told the Baltimore Sun that "upon reflection" Ayanbadejo has the right to express his views.

In all, four states are voting on gay marriage this year. Minnesota's vote is on a constitutional ban; in Maryland, as well as Maine and Washington, voters are deciding whether gay marriage should be legal.

Pro athletes and team officials say attitudes have slowly shifted in a sports culture often seen as one of the last bastions of acceptable homophobia.

"We call it casual homophobia," said Patrick Burke, a scout for the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers and founder of the You Can Play Project, which aims to increase acceptance for gay athletes. "Athletes will use slurs like 'that's so gay' or 'don't be a fag' without thinking about what they're really saying. You might think it's harmless, but for that young athlete in the corner who's closeted, it's a huge deal."

No active athlete in the four most popular pro sports -- football, baseball, basketball or hockey -- has come out publicly as gay, according to the gay-oriented sports website Outsports.com.

Some players have after retiring. Esera Tuaolo, a retired NFL tackle who played for the Vikings from 1992-96, came out in 2002, explaining he stayed quiet for years when he heard homophobic slurs or taunting in the locker room.

Several sports figures say they were influenced by gay family members. Kluwe has a gay brother-in-law, "and I'd like to see him be able to get married someday," he said.

Connor Barwin, a linebacker for the Houston Texans, has talked about his gay brother and his own support for equal marriage rights. Burke, the NHL scout, had a gay brother who also worked in hockey management but died in a 2010 car accident.

In Baltimore, Ravens center Matt Birk said he thought the NFL was evolving toward greater acceptance of homosexuality. The former Viking declined to talk about his own feelings on gay marriage, but spoke out strongly in support of other players' freedom to take stands. And he said he was "absolutely" willing to play with a gay teammate.

Some of Kluwe's teammates were more reluctant to talk about it.

"I've just been mainly focusing on getting snaps to him. So I've stayed away from his media blitz," said Vikings long snapper Cullen Loeffler, who spends as much time with Kluwe as anyone on the team.

But Kluwe said the private response from Vikings players and management has been positive.

"For me personally, what I'm seeing is guys who are willing to live and let live," Kluwe said. "They don't really care about it, and at the end of the day when we're in the locker room, it's what can you do to help us win on Sunday?"